MikroTik hEX S 2025 2.5G SFP Wired Router PoE USB

The MikroTik hEX S (2025) is proof that serious routing capability does not require a serious budget. At USD 69, it delivers a feature set that most consumer routers in the USD 150–200 range cannot match — and does it in a compact, wall-mountable enclosure that fits anywhere.

The 2.5G SFP cage is the headline upgrade that makes the hEX S 2025 relevant for modern internet plans. Multi-gigabit fiber is now available from major Canadian ISPs including Bell and Rogers in most urban markets. Consumer routers with only Gigabit WAN ports cap your usable speed at 1 Gbps regardless of your plan tier. The hEX S 2025 breaks that ceiling — connect a 2.5G SFP module to your ISP fiber hand-off and deliver the full speed of a 2 Gbps+ fiber plan to your network without a bottleneck at the router.

The port bonding support across the 5× Gigabit Ethernet ports opens a practical use case that MikroTik targets directly: bond two 1G ports to your NAS and get 2 Gbps of effective throughput for large file transfers, video editing workloads, and backup jobs — without buying a 2.5G NAS adapter. For creators, editors, and researchers who move large files regularly, this alone justifies the USD 69 purchase.

Every port on the hEX S 2025 is assignable — any port can be WAN, LAN, or bridge. There is no fixed WAN port, no locked-down interface, no ISP firmware restriction. RouterOS v7 is the operating system, which means full VLAN support, advanced firewall rules, traffic shaping, BGP, OSPF, MPLS, SNMP, scripting, and a feature depth that most USD 300 consumer routers do not approach.

The dual power inputs (DC jack 12–57V and 802.3af/at PoE-in 18–57V) make the hEX S 2025 deployable in virtually any installation — desktop, wall-mount, or PoE-powered from an upstream switch with no separate power adapter needed. Passive PoE-out on Ether5 (up to 57V, 0.5A) powers a downstream access point, IP camera, or IoT device directly from the router.

Key features:

- 1× 2.5G SFP cage — multi-gigabit fiber uplink for 2 Gbps+ ISP plans (SFP module not included)

- 5× 10/100/1000 Mbps Gigabit Ethernet — full port assignment flexibility (any port = WAN/LAN/bridge)

- Port bonding support — bond two 1G ports for 2 Gbps effective throughput to NAS or downstream devices

- PoE-in on Ether1 — 802.3af/at, 18–57V — power the router from an upstream PoE switch, no adapter needed

- Passive PoE-out on Ether5 — up to 57V, 0.5A — power a downstream AP, camera, or IoT device

- Dual-core EN7562CT ARM 32-bit CPU, 950 MHz, 512 MB RAM, 128 MB NAND, EN7523 switch chip

- USB 3.0 Type-A port (up to 1A, USB Power Reset) — storage, file sharing, configuration backups

- DC jack power input 12–57V, max 23W (5W without attachments)

- Passive cooling, -40°C to +70°C

- CPU temperature monitor, PCB temperature monitor, voltage monitor

- Mode button

- Wall-mountable design — compact form factor for desk, wall, or cabinet installation

- RouterOS v7, License Level 4 — VLANs, advanced firewall, BGP, OSPF, MPLS, traffic shaping, SNMP, scripting — no subscriptions, no locked features, free updates for life (minimum 5 years)

- Certified CE, EAC, RoHS | IP20

- MTBF ~100,000 hours at 25°C

In the box: 24V 1.2A power adapter.

Ideal for: home labs and power users replacing their ISP router with a proper RouterOS platform; small offices needing full VLAN, firewall, and traffic shaping on a tight budget; content creators and video editors bonding ports to a NAS for 2 Gbps local file transfer; anyone on a Bell or Rogers multi-gigabit fiber plan needing a 2.5G-capable router at an accessible price; remote workers requiring serious VPN and firewall control without enterprise pricing; and any wired network deployment where RouterOS v7 capability at USD 69 is the right answer.